The medical marijuana industry is growing rapidly ever since the United States legalised it in 50+ states. Other countries are now following in their footsteps because of the seeming never ending list of health benefits. However, since marijuana is still regarded as a prohibited substance by many (because of its psychoactive effect), CBD aka cannabidiol has now made its way into the spotlight as a much safer alternative. 

The list of benefits that were once hypothetical and based on anecdotal reports, are now backed up by science and medical experts via countless research and studies done on CBD.

However since we live in a culture that “criminalises” the use of marijuana, one important question pops into our mind for a lot of us ‒ can you get away using CBD? Or will it show in the drug test?

Short answer: No! It’s unlikely that CBD will show up in the drug test.

To help you understand why, let's get into the basics:

What Exactly Is CBD?

CBD, aka cannabinoid, is simply considered a better alternative to medical marijuana. Both have similar health benefits when it comes to treating serious ailments, but unlike marijuana, which gets you high ‒ due to high potency of THC ‒ CBD doesn’t give you that euphoric effect.

This is why most CBD products do not contain any THC. Even if they do, the quantity is negligible (less than 0.3% in most cases). However, as we’ve said before, the health benefits remain the same.

This is why CBD is preferred by many who wish to benefit from marijuana without getting high or feeling euphoric. The can be several reasons why people are concerned with getting high. Some are concerned because psychoactive compounds can lower your ability to speak, walk, and even think properly. While others are concerned over getting fired from a job or losing your drivers license because of it.

So the most important question is:

Will CBD Show In Drug Tests?

What we’ve seen so far, it’s highly unlikely that your drug test will fail because you consumed a CBD based product ‒ especially if you’re taking one for employment purposes. Here’s why:

Most drug tests, specially for employment purposes, are taken for traces of cannabis. But, to be more specific, what they are looking for is the compound known as THC or THC metabolites.

THC and CBD, although found in marijuana itself, are very different compounds from each other. THC is known for its psychoactive effects while CBD is known for the health benefits that come packed with marijuana or hemp based plants. Modern drug tests, that are used to trace cannabis use, aren’t designed to trace CBD, they’re designed to find THC specifically.

As we’ve discussed above, most CBD products do not contain THC in it. And if they do contain it, the amount of THC is so little that it would be hard to trace it in a drug test. But it is a good idea to be a little too cautious sometimes, as you still want to be 100% certain you won’t fail your test, right?

So let’s assume that you’re taking a CBD product that has THC in it. It’s possible that you’re consuming a hemp based product and to elevate the health benefits of CBD, the manufacturers have added THC levels into the product. But, as we’ve discussed, since the quantity of THC is so low (approx. 0.3%); it’s still very unlikely that you will fail in a drug test of cannabis use.

In other words, you’d have to be very unlucky to fail in the drug test.

Let’s take a hair test as an example, which is quite a thorough drug test due to its inability to be adulterated. Even in this test, there are very low chances of your drug test coming out positive ‒ unless you’re chugging CBD by the bottle. Now, let’s take urine or oral fluid test as an example.

Both of these tests are far less thorough than the hair test. So the chances of getting caught of using CBD products is almost negligible. However, once again, if you’re consuming too much CBD (more than the recommended dosage) then it is possible that THC could be detected in a drug test.

However, you might be wondering:

What if the Drug Test Can Detect CBD?

You should realise that it's very unlikely any employer will pay extra money to trace CBD compounds. No company likes to spend extra on something that doesn’t benefit them. And since CBD doesn’t get you high, it won’t affect your job functioning. In fact, more research shows that it can be very productive for you to consume CBD. We do not believe CBD specfic testing will become a thing.

Take one of the biggest drug testing companies in the United States as an example. Quest Diagnostics don’t offer testing for CBD. Even people who are enrolling in DEA aren’t tested for CBD. 

Now since that’s cleared up, even if your test comes up positive for THC, it would be easier if you could explain to your employer that you use a CBD tincture. Being transparent will surely allow your employer to have trust in you and have a better understanding why THC may have shown.

Final Verdict

While CBD has shown numerous health benefits ‒ it’s still a controversial topic whether it’s a good thing to legalise it ‒ especially at workplaces. This is why many are scared to death when they’re requested for a drug test. However, you should not have to worry about it since CBD is not THC, which is what most drug tests look out for. So, enjoy your CBD products!

It is important to know that if you are taking a CBD product that contains THC, it will show up in a drug test. So if you do randomly get tested at work, only take CBD products that are labelled as NO THC.

So what are your thoughts on CBD & THC testing in the workplace? Would you be willing to try it out on your own or would you want to wait until there is more scientific support to back up CBD's health claims?  We would have to hear from you in the comments if you have been using a CBD product and been testing. What was the outcome?